Lexianna looked away from the enchanted weaponry stall, her silver eyes sweeping over the vibrant, chaotic sprawl of the Ashen Ward.
"It is beautiful," Lexianna answered, her voice softening slightly.
She reached out and took the small parcel of candied ginger from the harpy maid. The sharp, spicy-sweet scent was grounding, a sharp contrast to the metallic tang of magic and ozone that usually permeated the air around the Vaelxuan estate.
"It is highly functional, completely unregulated, and entirely driven by raw supply and demand," Lexianna added, a faint, genuine smile touching her lips as she slipped a piece of the ginger into her mouth. "It is the perfect market."
Sybil giggled, not entirely understanding the corporate phrasing, but visibly relieved that her mistress was finally relaxing. The suffocating tension that had gripped Lexianna since the assassination attempt in the gardens seemed to be slowly bleeding away into the noisy, anonymous crowd.
